When it comes to iconic animated television series, The Simpsons and Futurama are two of the best, and in a comic crossover between the franchises, Futurama’s Zoidberg gets a highly humorous human form! Getting turned into a real man should’ve been something Zoidberg enjoyed experiencing, but instead, he believes he’s become something far too disgusting to comprehend.
Seen in the epic two-part crossover titled Futurama/Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis, by Ian Boothby and James Lloyd, this limited series brings the Planet Express crew into the sleepy town of Springfield via the evil machinations of the nefarious Brainspawn enemies. Sucked into a Simpsons comic that Fry has been reading, Zoidberg, Bender, Leela, Dr. Farnsworth, Hermes, Nibbler, and more are stranded in a world that they can’t readily escape from but need to leave as soon as possible.
Slowly losing their memories of the real world the longer they stay trapped, the Futurama crew eventually meet up with iconic Simpsons characters such as Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Moe, and Mr. Burns to try and get to the bottom of what’s going on. Captured by a conniving Mr. Burns after realizing that Fry and his friends are from the future, Zoidberg is subsequently held for ransom over a vat of toxic waste at Springfield’s infamous Nuclear Power Plant, only to be accidentally dropped in by Homer and transformed into something far different than anyone expected.
Gasping at Zoidberg’s new human look, Leela, Amy, and even Marge Simpson are taken back by his metamorphosis, with Zoidberg wondering aloud if he’s “mutated into a hideous creature” based on their immediate — and hilariously misconstrued — reactions. Drawn on the next panel in all of his steamy, naked, muscle-bound, and blonde-haired glory, Zoidberg mistakes the googling eyes and agape mouths of the ladies in front of him as a form of repulsion, exclaiming, “It’s worse than I thought. The women are all drooling in disgust!” unable to realize that his sexy bod is actually making them hot and bothered instead of sick to their stomachs.
Much like how Bender found out exactly what it’d feel like to be a meatbag instead of a bucket of bolts during the events of the Futurama episode titled “Anthology of Interest II,” Zoidberg getting a hunky human makeover is a bit of a better deal than what Bender was given, despite Zoidberg never getting the chance to utilize his newfound beauty in a way that benefitted him. Often disgusting those around him with his wild alien antics and odd crustacean mannerisms, becoming human may not have been something that Zoidberg was expecting, but it still could have been a blessing in disguise for a character that isn’t always taken seriously, especially when it comes to his physical appearance.
So although Zoidberg completely misread the room after his transformation from a slimy crustacean to a ripped human being, the fact that he got to experience the switch in the first place is a moment that was long in the making for fans of the character. The Simpsons and Futurama have crossed over more than once since this comic was released, and if they ever do again, Zoidberg can only hope to have a second chance at properly living a life with ten fingers and ten toes.